State Rep. Thomas Conroy of Wayland, 2 others, hang in in race for U.S. Senate, as other contestants drop out

BOSTON - The mayor of Newton, the co-founder of City Year and a former nominee for lieutenant governor have dropped out of the U.S. Senate Democratic primary field, but a state representative from Wayland remains in the race and continues to express optimism about his odds even though polls say his candidacy hasn’t caught on.

With Alan Khazei expected to officially drop out of the race Thursday, Rep. Thomas P. Conroy released a statement calling Khazei a “good friend” and adding, “I look forward to working with Alan and others to win this seat and maintain a Democratic majority in the United States Senate.”

Consumer advocate and Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Warren was in a dead heat with Sen. Scott P. Brown in a UMass-Lowell/Boston Herald poll released earlier this month, with Warren leading all of her Democratic primary opponents by more than 30 points.

After news broke Wednesday about Khazei’s plans to leave the race, Conroy cautioned race-watchers about the unpredictable nature of politics.

“No one could have guessed two months ago that three strong candidates in this race would have dropped out by now,” he said. “The Democratic primary is more than 10 months away. I believe, and many others do too, that the Democratic Party and the people of Massachusetts will benefit from a competitive primary.”

Warren, who helped the Obama administration build a new consumer protection bureau, hasn’t held elected office before, and Conroy says his record in the House, his work in the public and private sector, and his defeat of former Republican Rep. Susan Pope are building blocks for his candidacy.

Warren was scheduled to join Newton Mayor Setti Warren, her former opponent, to greet voters in West Newton on Thursday morning.

During a radio interview Thursday morning, Senate President Therese Murray called Warren the frontrunner in the race, but cautioned that opponents remain, mentioning Conroy first.

"It's not over, yet," Murray said.

Murray, asked during a WATD radio interview about Khazei’s departure from the race, said, "I think that Khazei made the decision based on whether he could raise money or expand his base and obviously he made the decision that he couldn’t do either of those things.”

That remark echoed a similar comment she made when asked about the race several weeks ago. At the time, Murray declined to assess candidates' chances but suggested that those in the primary evaluate the practicality of their efforts and whether they had a clear path to the nomination.

But Murray stuck with her cautious approach, noting that Conroy is still in and pointing out that "a fellow from Newton and another woman" are also running. Murray was referring to Newton engineer Herb Robinson and immigration attorney Marisa DeFranco.